Veteran actor Tim Matheson (The West Wing, Animal House) will play Ronald Reagan in National Geographic Channel’s two-hour scripted movie Killing Reagan. Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) plays his wife Nancy.
The project, based on the Bill O’Reilly book, is set for a fall premiere. Rod Lurie is directing and Eric Simonson is writing.
“With this fourth installment of the highly successful Killing franchise, we are, along with our partners, Bill O’Reilly and Scott Free Productions, going to use the assassination attempt as a crucible to tell the fascinating and compelling story of Ronald Reagan and his lasting impact on the global stage,” said Carolyn Bernstein, NGC executive VP and head of global scripted development and production. “We’re delighted to have Tim and Cynthia on board to bring this story to life during an unpredictable and historic election year.”
Matheson actually played the ghost of Ronald Reagan in the unproduced 2011 pilot The Talker.
NGC, Scott Free Productions and O’Reilly previously collaborated on Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy and Killing Jesus.
O’Reilly hosts The O’Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel.
“Even nearly 30 years after his presidency, and more than 10 years after his death, Ronald Reagan’s mark on American politics and the global geopolitical landscape, through both his actions and his policies, still reverberates today,” he said. “There is much that can be learned by looking back at that riveting period in history.”
